Buccaneer's Girl

1950 film by Frederick de Cordova

March 1, 1950 (1950-03-01) (United States)

Running time

77 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBox office2,007,030 admissions (France)^[1]

Buccaneer's Girl is a 1950 American Technicolor romantic adventure film directed by Frederick de Cordova starring Yvonne De Carlo and Philip Friend.^[2]^[3]

Plot

Deborah McCoy, a New Orleans singer, is on a ship that is captured by the forces of the pirate captain Fredric Baptiste. Baptiste keeps McCoy captive but she escapes in New Orleans and is hired as a singer by Mme. Brizar, the proprietor of a school for young ladies.

Deborah is sent to a party held by Captain Robert Kingston, the head of the Seaman's Fund. Robert is also Baptiste. She discovers that Baptiste uses his piracy activities to subsidise the Fund, which supports local seamen. Robert is engaged to Arlene Villon.

The businessman Narbonne discovers Baptiste's ruse and sets a trap for him. Deborah overhears this and joins Baptiste on the open seas. They attack Narbonne's ships.

Baptiste is captured by Narbonne but Deborah helps him escape.

Cast

Yvonne De Carlo as Deborah McCoy
Philip Friend as Frederic Baptiste
Robert Douglas as Narbonne
Elsa Lanchester as Mme. Brizar
Andrea King as Arlene Villon
Norman Lloyd as Patout
Jay C. Flippen as Jared Hawkins
Henry Daniell as Captain Duval
Douglass Dumbrille as Captain Martos
Verna Felton as Dowager
John Qualen as Vegetable Man
Connie Gilchrist as Vegetable Woman
Ben Welden as Tom
Dewey Robinson as Kryl
Peggie Castle as Cleo

Production

The film was originally known as Mademoiselle McCoy and the Pirates. In May 1949 Joseph Hoffman was hired to work on the script.^[4]

It appears to have always been considered a vehicle for Yvonne De Carlo. Paul Christian was originally announced as her co-star.^[5] Christian ended up being replaced by Philip Friend, who was cast on the basis of his performance in another Universal film, Sword in the Desert (1949).

Robert Douglas was cast as the lead villain in the film, the first of a three-picture contract he made with Universal.^[6]

Filming began July 1949.

The supporting cast included Ethel Ince, widow of John Ince, playing her first role in thirty years.^[7]

When asked about the film, De Carlo said, "What a dilly! I had six knock down, drag out fights in that one. And I was just recuperating from an operation."^[8]

Reception

De Carlo wrote in her memoirs that while she was touring Argentina, she got a phone call from Eva Perón praising her movies, particularly Buccaneer's Girl. De Carlo wrote, "It later dawned on me that she could identify with the character of Deborah McCoy, who capitalized on her position as a prostitute to move up into high society."^[9]

Dudley Early of Austin American-Statesman said that "[...] this highly improbable tale fails to click despite its presentation."^[10]

References

^ "1950 Box Office in France". Box Office Story.
^ Buccaneer's Girl, British Film Institute
^ "Yvonne De Carlo Wields Mean Cutlass as Pirate" Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times, 16 March 1950: A9
^ Brady, Thomas F. (11 June 1949). "COLUMBIA NAMES LEADS FOR MOVIE: Broderick Crawford and John Ireland in 'Tougher They Come,' Story About Sea". New York Times. p. 11.
^ "Looking at Hollywood" Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune, 21 June 1949: 19.
^ "FELDMAN WORKING ON FOUR PICTURES: 'Silver Whistle,' 'Wayward Bus,' 'Finian's Rainbow' and 'Tender Mercy' Are Projects" by THOMAS F. BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. New York Times 30 June 1949: 19.
^ "Garfield to Do Story of Toscanini Protege; Wyler Gets Gotham Hit" SCALLERT, EDWIN. Los Angeles Times, 22 July 1949: 13
^ Hopper, Hedda (29 January 1950). "Yvonne, the Wanderer". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. C22.
^ De Carlo, Yvonne; Warren, Doug (1987). Yvonne : an autobiography. St Martins Press. p. 159.
^ Early, Dudley (August 30, 1950). "Show World - Buccaneer's Girl". Austin American-Statesman. Gannett.